Horses are hardy animals. In the wild, they do not have their teeth floated, sheaths cleaned or hooves trimmed. They do not have shelters to run into when the weather gets bad.

Nature takes care of that. Eating sand with the grasses, wearing down their hooves naturally, etc.

We are the ones who take them out of their habitat and thusly, in domesticating them, have to do things that maintain their health when we pasture or stall them.

I dont think that anyone here stated that hoof care, vaccinations, farrier, teeth floats , worming or vaccinations were anything other than necessary or responsible.

Myself? I couldnt DO the 3 sided shelter. I always wanted to know, when I was asleep at nite, that my horses had a windproof barrier they could rest in, away from the elements. Rain, snow, wind, sleet, etc.....We built onto our barn to make more stalls!

People would get mad at US and even reported us for leaving our horses OUTSIDE in the rain and snow.

Animal control came out, saw we had proper food, water and pasture and the animals were fat and sassy and said themselves, that horses BELONG outside most of the time.

Yes, when weather got bad, they were in. But from March thru Nov, my horses lived outside and they were happier and healthier for it.

Scout, I dont know if you meant the pampering thing for me or not....if you didnt, I am sorry. I just wanted to put this out here.

everything that we can tell you here is great. but your horse needs proper care, and a vet can advise you on how to best do that. They can treat what needs to be treated, and tell you where to go to make sure that his hooves get looked after properly and and do followup. A Vet can also check the rest of your horse for general health and tell you what to do for regular maitnance. You need someone who can step in and co-ordinate this animals recovery and then followup on his regualr maitnance.

The fact that your horse lay down when someone got up on his is very telling... that is NOT normal behavior! If the horse was just trying to be defiant or was spooked or uncomfortable with the situation, he would typically try and gogogo... wether that be go forward, back, to the side, up... but down. that is not normal~ a horse is a flight animal and they have a strong flight instinct, when affraid or unsure of a situation, instict is to run... laying down makes then VERY vulnerable and so for your horse to get down like that, tells me he was in a LOT of pain standing, or that he is very weak... either way... GET A VET.

Trauma, don't think it was a post by you Scout was referring to. You hit the nail SO on the head when explaining the differences between a horse in the wild and one we CHOOSE to remove from that natural element. TY

Ok folks...I have been raising training and showing horses for 37 of my 48 years.... a 3sided shelter is what MY horse has. it was built by a professional homebuilder. It is more than sufficient. It opens to the south so my horse has a way to get out of the 105 degree Texas sun. Opening to the south it has a wonderful breeze and it is more comfortable than under a tree. This stall is 10 X 15 feet and my horse was born in it. Was it a 4 sided, closed structure, it would be stiflingingly hot in there, and should I have an injury or illness, my horse would suffer, or possibly die in it.( except I was SMART enough to make it open) she and the donkey buddy PREFER to go in it during the heat of the day...did I mention I live in Texas????? Now I am not defending this person with the horse problem. they need a farrier probably more than a vet. Vets don't know anywhere near as much for hoof problems like a good farrier does. I would suggest this person find another home for this horse to prevent a serious injury to all involved. It happens to anyone regardless of level of expertise. My first serious equine injury didn't occur until 4 years ago, when my horse accidentally touched an electric fence and went out from underneath me. I'm not sure if she Really touched it or thought she did,we were 5 feet away from it, but it didn't matter, she reacted like you would expect her to and it was nobody's fault, just an accident, but my first major injury. It happens even to us pro's. This is the reason I went "to the dogs" I'm still rehabbing my arm, broke in two just below the shoulder. Please sell this horse. I have to agree, it sounds like you have no business owning a horse at this stage....Learn about them before you try again. And for Pete's sake, don't get a young one. Horses average 30 years, and 10 or 15 isn't old for a beginner's horse, it's just right. Good luck.

I personally wont get into the 'proper shelter' debate. Before I ever owned my first horse, we lived in Oregon (bought my 1st one there). When I set up to bring her home, we put up our fencing and I instrusted to buy materials to built me a shelter for her (renatl proerty, no barn) I got laughed at by the entire town, as no one there even provides shelter, not even a lean-to! I was shocked! They went on to explain how horses live in the wild, have thick hides, blah, blah. So I got to be the town idiot with a nice weather proof shed for my girl. That was closest thing she had ever seen to a barn or stall in her 12 yrs before i got her.

Doesn't thrush come from standing a long time in wet mud, or crap like in a mud pen or dirty stall? We really haven't dealt too much with thrush but if treated I don't think it is a huge deal.

Every one needs to simmer down. It looks like this CAN be treated by an ADULT in the family. You know it sounds bad, but even human children get 'thrush' in their mouths.

Looks like it is treated with Iodine. Which is cheap and can be treated over the counter. If your parents feel it is over their heads, I would also recommend a farrier more for thrush than a vet. It will be cheaper and the farrier deals with thrush more often than a vet.

yes, we often treat thrush at the barn with just some javex but those are very mild cases and there are people who are experienced enough to judge if it is to severe a case, and if other medical attention is necissary.

this horse needs a proper assesment of what is wrong, and these people need proper direction of what to do to help him. end of story.

If people hadn't been making out horse care to be so simple and so cheap that it's almost irrelevant, maybe the OP would have learned that havign a horse really is a big deal and not like buying something random at the mall.

Simmer down? You are the one that advocated that horses barely need a thing. The rest of us don't run for profit kennels or barns, so we care more about health than you I suppose.

Ouch. I never said that we EVER made money on horses mafia. NEVER ever. 90% of people who try to make money on horses fail and my family never tried.

I just haven't heard of any horses dying of thrush and like I said I don't recall it being a problem with our horses because it is generally from neglect, which our never were, or people who think they are doing a 'good thing' by keeping them stalled constantly, but don't bother to clean the stalls and leave them in $hit.

no TM that post was not directed specifically towards you. it was more or less directed towards the general vibe of the original thread and not one person in particular. the tone of the thread was very blaise on the concept of horse care. not knowing enough about horse care myself to say whether anyone is right or wrong on the subject, i was left with the impression that there isn't much needed in the way of care for your average backyard horse.

now taking the fact that the OP is a young child, he/she probably looked at the environment that the horse was kept in and saw nothing wrong with it based on what was said in the orignal thread. now as you guys are more experienced in horses you may have known there was a huge difference in minimal care VS improper care. the subtle differences i believe were never fully explained in the original thread. so the OP takes this horse, not knowing any better, and now has what i would consider serious problems.

we tend to , on this board, go to great lengths to educate people on the ins and outs of dogs. from what to look for, what are red flags, what to feed, serious VS non-serious problems. i believe the level of education for this girl on picking out a horse and what to do with it once she got it home was a lot less then we do on each thread for dog/cat owners.

Well, being as the OP never took any advice on ferrets, rottys, yorkies and goats, I doubt they would take the horse one serious either. OP never wanted to do ANYTHING we suggested and I do remember asking about farrier, vaccines and teeth floats on the original thread.

They said they were getting a free horse. We did not know the condition of such horse either. It would seem you get what you pay for.

A proper shelter for this poor beast is the least of its problems. It needs farrier work, and a complete vet exam. And a break from being ridden for 2 hrs straight! Geez, my horses were worked lightly (compared to jumping on a horse) before lunging and loosening up.

I dont think that anyone gave bad advice. There is minimal care with ANY animal, horses included. That was given in all the replies. No one gave bad advice. It isnt anyones fault here that the horse is in the condition it is in.....

Right now , as I told all of you, the horse doesn't live me. He lives with his current owner because were still building the stable. The condition he lives in at the other house is good, no manuier, no standing water, he has dirt and grass to graze on. So until we finish he stable I really can't do much. When wwe get the horse I will get it treated for thrush.

TraumaMamma, beside the fact I'm 13, my dad has the iron fist in the house. I have tried so many times to tell him every thing but he WON'T listen, what am I supost to do, I love my animals, but my dad never listens to what I have to say because he thinks he knows everything about animals

Rotty- Call your local 4-H horse leader. Ask if they know a reasonable farrier or TWO in your area that can come out an look at this horse ASAP. Tell them to stress good but REASONABLE. It shouldn't be that much just for a trim and to treat the thrush. When you call the farrier tell them you are a kid but your horse needs help and ask how much it will be.

I would be SHOCKED if it were more than $50/75 and if you can't afford that I would tell you what I would tell my 13 year old daughter:

Babysit, mow lawns, bus tables, stock shelves, work on a fruit farm, do what you need to do to get some cash to pay for your pet.

:) Really you should think about joining a 4-H club even if you don't want to 'show'. If you find a good leader and let them know you need to learn about basic horse care, they will teach you care besides proper riding-- and a good 4-H leader will do this for free.

No, most of us are blaming you because YOU choose to go for a ride on a horse for 2 hours when you could tell by a mere visual inspection that the horse's feet were in terrible shape. That's not only irresponsible on your part, it's pretty darned selfish and cruel. Your dad may have the iron fist but I"m pretty sure he didn't threaten you to get up on that poor beast's back and ride it for 2 hours or else.

What does your family say when you tell them he has thrush and it's painful to walk, so tahts why he reared up and bucked?